The runner-up and five merit winners will receive R15 000 and R1000, respectively.
The Sasol New Signatures competition is aimed at inspiring creativity and innovation amongst emerging young South African artists. It is open to all South African artists who are 18 years and older and have not held a solo exhibition, except for academic purposes.
Sasol's sponsorship manager, Andriesa Singleton, said that Sasol has sponsored the event for the past 21 years, adding: "This is an important event on Sasol's arts calendar and underpins our commitment to and support of visual arts in this country."
Artists are invited to submit one or two artworks at one of several venues around the country or via the Internet. Physical entries are to be submitted to the collection points on Monday, 11 July and Tuesday, 12 July, 2011, between 10am and 4pm. Online entries may be submitted for preliminary selection via www.sasolsignatures.co.za from 16 May to 19 June, 2011, before midnight. Artists who enter online are not required to enter again at the collection points. They will be contacted if their entries are selected for final approval at a regional collection point.
Information sessions will be held around the country to provide insight into the judging process and advice on conceptualisation, display and presentation of work. All interested participants are encouraged to attend as this is part of the entry process. The information session will run from 13 April to 16 May, 2011, from 10am to noon. The information sessions will be hosted by artist and chairman of the Sasol New Signatures art competition's judging panel, Peter Binsbergen.
Binsbergen said that the Sasol New Signatures Art Competition is an excellent platform for young up-and-coming artists to showcase their work and to encourage a high standard of work in the arts community. "While winning a prize is obviously a great achievement, just taking part in the event is an important learning process for young artists."
The selections will be conducted at the respective regional collection points. The regional committees will select a total of around 100 works for exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum. The final selection process will culminate with an awards ceremony held on the official opening of the exhibition on Wednesday, 31 August, 2011.
The Sasol New Signatures exhibition will be open to public from Wednesday, 31 August to Sunday, 2 October, 2011. Artists can contact Nandi Hilliard from the Association of Arts Pretoria on +27 (0)12 346 3100 or +27 (0)83 288 5117 or az.oc.bewm@atpstra for further information on the competition and where to obtain the entry forms or visit www.sasolsignatures.co.za.
